claiming louisiana france
la salle reassembled party major expedition. in 1682 departed fort crevecoeur group of frenchmen , indians , canoed down mississippi river. named mississippi basin la louisiane in honor of louis xiv , claimed france. @ later became site of memphis, tennessee, built small fort prudhomme. on april 9, 1682, @ mouth of mississippi river near modern venice, louisiana, buried engraved plate , cross, claiming territory france.
in 1683, on return voyage, la salle established fort saint louis of illinois, @ starved rock on illinois river, replace fort crevecoeur. appointed tonti command fort while traveled france supplies. on july 24, 1684, departed france , returned america large expedition designed establish french colony on gulf of mexico, @ mouth of mississippi river. had 4 ships , 300 colonists. expedition plagued pirates, hostile indians, , poor navigation. 1 ship lost pirates in west indies, second sank in inlets of matagorda bay, , third ran aground there. founded fort saint louis (texas), on garcitas creek in present-day victoria, texas vicinity.
la salle led group eastward on foot on 3 occasions try locate mouth of mississippi.
during final search mississippi river, of la salle s remaining 36 men mutinied, near site of present navasota, texas. on march 19, 1687, slain pierre duhaut during ambush while talking duhaut s decoy, jean l archevêque. 6 leagues westernmost village of hasinai (tejas) indians. duhaut killed avenge la salle, while jean l archevêque killed in 1720 indians during villasur expedition—coincidentally in ambush beside river.
the fort saint louis colony lasted until 1688, when karankawa-speaking native americans killed 20 remaining adults , took 5 children captives. tonti sent out search missions in 1689 when learned of settlers fate, failed find survivors.
there disagreement accepting navasota site of la salle s death. historian robert weddle, example, believes travel distances miscalculated, , murdered east of trinity river.
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